Anatomically modern humans have existed for over 300k years, through multiple ice ages. And we don't know anything about the first ~250k years.
We clearly evolved to quickly spread and fill any ecological niche. Logically that means we've been doing that repeatedly for the entire 300k years that we haven't experienced significant evolution.
That only works if we routinely experienced near extinction level collapse.
Not a strong assumption, if I'm reading you right. If early humans had done anything like what we're up to, there would have been sign or spoor of it somewhere. We have nuclear waste that will outlast the civilization that comes after this one.
I submit that the default hypothesis has room for our tendencies for cyclical disaster and survival, but at a lower magnitude and a longer time scale.
I bet the end has always been near, for us. Ten thousand small armageddons across our history as a species. We're used to it by now, and probably sooner or later the doomsayers are right. We've survived just long enough to get into serious mischief now. Hopefully we can keep it up.
2 Comments
givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
It's probably what keeps wiping us out...
Anatomically modern humans have existed for over 300k years, through multiple ice ages. And we don't know anything about the first ~250k years.
We clearly evolved to quickly spread and fill any ecological niche. Logically that means we've been doing that repeatedly for the entire 300k years that we haven't experienced significant evolution.
That only works if we routinely experienced near extinction level collapse.
Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y
Not a strong assumption, if I'm reading you right. If early humans had done anything like what we're up to, there would have been sign or spoor of it somewhere. We have nuclear waste that will outlast the civilization that comes after this one.
I submit that the default hypothesis has room for our tendencies for cyclical disaster and survival, but at a lower magnitude and a longer time scale.
I bet the end has always been near, for us. Ten thousand small armageddons across our history as a species. We're used to it by now, and probably sooner or later the doomsayers are right. We've survived just long enough to get into serious mischief now. Hopefully we can keep it up.